Muntin bar assemblies



Oct. 16, 1962 M. N. JACOBS ET AL MUNTIN BAR ASSEMBLIES Filed July 3,1961 2 Sheets-Sheet .L

INVENTORS MARK N. JACOBS BY LEOPOLD PAROSELLI AT TOR NEY Oct. 16, 1962M. N. JACOBS ET AL 3,058,517

MUNTIN BAR ASSEMBLIES Filed July 5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIP'IP'I IINVENTORS MARK N. JACOBS BY LEOPOLD PAROSELLI ala/9 ATTORNEY UnitedStates atent 3,058,517 MUNTIN BAR ASSEMBLIES Mark N. Jacobs, 11-12 NormaAve., Fairlawn, N.J., and Leopold Paroselli, 15 Anderson Ave., Demarest,NJ. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,606 1 Claim. (Cl. 160-1136) Ourinvention generically relates to windows and in particular a collapsiblemuntin bar assembly adapted to be detachably secured to a window sashfor the production of a window having the appearance of one with aplurality of diamond or square shaped window lights.

The tremendous population explosion in the United States has created avast demand for economical home buildings, particularly in the suburbscontiguous to large population and business centers, like metropolitanNew York, Philadelphia, Newark, Chicago and Los Angeles. The builders ofthese homes are confronted on the one hand with ever increasing costs oflabor and materials, and faced on the other, with the necessity ofbuilding homes in large numbers to sell at figures that can be met bythe buyers who require the homes. The builder is in a squeeze and hemust also meet the competition of other builders in the area. It is ahighly competitive market and every item that goes into the figuring ofthe building of a house must be scrutinized with care to assure that itwill accomplish its intended purpose and do so at the lowest possiblecost.

Many home buyers demand in houses in the medium price bracket the twoover two (2/2); three over three (3/3); four over four (4/4) anddiamond-shaped window lights which with conventional constructionsraises costs greatly over the single light window construction. Forexample, as compared to a double-hung 2/4 x 3/ 2 2/2 window with aninstallation cost of about $28.00 including labor and materialssomeestimators base their costs of triple windows, that is 3/3, at threetimes the cost of a single window plus $3.50. For quadruple windows,that is 4/4, the cost of a single window is multiplied four times plus$13.50. This increases the costs of the house having many windows by alarge sum.

A primary object of our invention is a collapsible muntin bar assemblywhich can be produced in economical fashion in large numbers havingmeans for quick attachment to and detachment from the window sash forcleaning or other purposes. A related and also primary object is adetachable muntin bar assembly which will produce the appearance of amulti-paned window at a cost vastly less than the conventional window. Astill further object is a collapsible muntin bar assembly which can befabricated of relatively flat metal or plastic bars at minimummanufacturing and assembly costs. Another object is a collapsible muntinbar assembly which can be shipped to the builder from the point ofmanufacture occupying the minimum shipping space at low shipping andhauling expenses. These and other objects will be manifest after aperusal of the following specification.

Briefly described, the muntin bar assembly comprises a plurality ofmetal or plastic bars in assembled relation such that it can be readilycollapsed, extended for window attachment and is provided with pivotedfasteners for engagement with the sash when the assembly is extended forplacement in a window.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a casement window having single lightswith our muntin bar assembly positioned thereon producing the effect ofa plurality of diamond-shaped lights.

FIGURE 2 depicts a front elevation of a double-hung window with ourassembly positioned thereon producing a plurality of diamond-shapedlights.

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FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of a double-hung window with the squaremuntin bar assembly thereon.

FIGURE 4 is a view showing the muntin bar assembly for a diamond-shapedlights in collapsed form.

FIGURE 5 is a top elevational view showing the muntin bar assembly forsquare lights in collapsed form.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the assembly shown in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a section on line 77 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 8a section on line 88 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 9a section on line 99 of FIGURE 3.

In the specification and drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.

In carrying out our invention, we designate one preferred form of themuntin bar assembly by numeral 5, with bars 6 having inclined ends 7,and in this embodiment there is one pair of bars 6 dimensioned alike.Ends 7 are inclined on each of bars 6 in parallelism so that whenassembly 5 is in extended position, as for example illustrated in FIGURE1, said ends 7 will confront the adjacent stiles S of the sash. Bars 6are centrally pivoted to each other as by pin 8.

Pivoted at one of their inclined ends 9 to the outer ends 7 of bars 6are two pair of identically dimensioned bars 10, said pairs of bars alsocentrally pivoted to each other by pins 11 and at their end '9 alsoattached and pivoted by pins 12 to ends 7; top 13 of pins 12 carrypivotally thereon fasteners 14 provided with curved finger portion 15.The free ends 16 of bars 10' are inclined to a greater degree and in anopposite direction to the inclination of their pivoted ends 9 and thefree ends 16 are bevelled to a point as at 17see FIGURE 8.

The muntin bar assembly 5 is shipped to the job in collapsed or foldedform as depicted in FIGURE 4 and to secure and install, the assembly isextended and positioned on the wondow sash with the bars of the assemblyadjacent and over the single light L. The curved portion 15 of fasteners14 are then turned to imbed the outer ends of the said fasteners in theadjacent stiles S of the sash, as depicted in FIGURE 7. The pivoting offasteners 14 about pins 12, with the pins acting as fulcrums, causesbevelled terminals 17 of the bars to engage the top and bottom rails Rof the sashsee FIGURE 8. Thus, a single lighted window is given theinherent beauty of a diamond and quasi-diamond lighted window as bestshown in FIGURE 1, an example of a casement window. In FIGURE 2 isillustrated a double-hung window, with a single light top and bottonwhich when our muntin bar assembly is installed as shown, is providedwith all of the attributes and appearance of a multi-lighted window,without the greatly increased cost of labor and materials. Cleaning iseasily accomplished by removing assembly 5 and in a few minutes thewindow panes can be cleaned with facility. The assembly is readilydetached from the window by manipulating arms 15 to turn the fasteners14 out of engagement with the stiles. Removal of the assembly presentsno problem as its weight is but a few ounces. We contemplate that theassembly illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 will be fabricated of relativelythin, inherently light, material such as aluminum, and as those skilledin the art will comprehend, the dimensions of the bars and inclinationsof the ends thereof will vary for different sizes and kinds of windows,as demand dictates. Aluminum is one preferred material as the barssimulate the lead glazing of antiquity. And it is also intended that themuntin bar assembly may be varied from the form shown in FIGURE 1 byhaving more or less of the bars 6 and extending their length and thelength of the companion bars to provide additional diamond-shaped lightswhen the modified assembly (not shown) is extended.

In FIGURE 3 is illustrated a View of a double-hung window with anotherpreferred embodiment in the form of assembly 18 wherein tolongitudinally extending bar 19 are pivoted at their centers, as by pins20, a pair of bars 21, each carrying at their opposite outer ends a pairof fasteners 22. These fasteners are mounted on pins 23 and their innerends define a curved portion 24. As best shown in FIGURE 9 fasteners 22engage the top rail R of the window sash when assembly 18 is extendedand mounted in the sash. Thus, in eflect as is shown in FIGURE 3, a sixover six (6/6) double-hung window with square lights is provided atvastly less cost than conventional multipaned construction, and in ahouse with many windows, the savings run into substantial amounts. And,too, if the house owner so desires he can remove and store the muntinbar assemblies after cleaning the windows if he desires to vary theappearance of his house. As with assembly 5, assembly 18 may be variedby adding to the number of bars 21, or having only one of them. InFIGURES 4 and 5 are illustrated assemblies 5 and 18 in closed orcollapsed position. Before installation it is only necessary to open upthe assemblies from their closed positions.

All assemblies of our invention are, as has been described, adapted tobe detachably secured to window sash.

We do not wish to limit the material of which our assembly isfabricated. It may be one of the man-made materials, such as plastics,and the component bars could be extruded at modest cost. Assembly ofeither metals or plastics could be done expeditiously, and as can beseen in the drawings, particularly FIGURES 4 and 5, shipping largequantities of muntin bar assemblies can be accomplished at minimum cost.

In all assemblies, when in engaged position, it is to be noted that thefasteners 14 and 22 extend beyond the ends of the bars on which they arepivoted.

Our invention can also be employed in window sash having more than onelight; it can be attached to each light of a two light window to produceeither a plurality of diamond or square shaped lights on each light, forexample.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of our invention shown anddescribed, are illustrative only, and that the invention is susceptibleto considerable variation as to details, and other modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

A collapsible, unitary, integral muntin bar assembly for detachablysecuring on a window sash having at least one light, upper and lowerrails and side stiles, said assembly comprising a plurality ofinterconnected flat metal bars, one pair of bars similarly dimensioned,centrally pivoted to each other and having inclined ends, a pair offasteners pivoted in the region of the opposite ends of and to at leastone of said pair of bars, one end of the fasteners pointed, the otherend having a raised portion for manipulating the fastener, two pair ofsimilarly dimensioned centrally pivoted bars, also having inclined ends,having their inner ends pivoted to the outer ends of the first mentionedpair of bars, and their opposite free ends bevelled to a point, thepointed ends of the fasteners adapted to be imbedded in the adjacentstiles of the sash when the assembly is in extended condition with thepivot points of the fasteners functioning as fulcrums, whereby theopposite upper and lower pointed ends of the second mentioned pair ofbars engage the upper and lower rails of the sash when the raisedportions of the fasteners are turned to imbed the pointed ends of thefasteners in the stiles of the sash and thereby maintain the assembly ona window light to produce the efiect of a window with a plurality oflights.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS193,195 Steckel July 17, 1877 1,501,545 Piifard-Francis July 15, 19241,572,763 Carr Feb. 9, 1926 2,408,281 Wilkin Sept. 24, 1946 3,021,577Roberts Feb. 30, 1962

